Early Office MuseumAntique Check Protector Gallery
~ 1869-1899 ~

Ad
IllustrationClick to Enlarge

Model, Years
Patented, Years Advertising Observed, Manufacturer

PhotographClick to Enlarge

1869 ad

Berolzheimer
Check ProtectorPatented 1869
U.S. Patent No. 97,344 awarded to Max Emanuel Berolzheimer
New York, NY
This check protector was designed to punch holes in checks that had been printed
for use with this particular machine. This patent is the earliest evidence
of a mechanical check protector that we have found. We do not know
whether it was actually marketed. The top illustration to the left shows the machine. The
bottom illustration to the left shows the pattern that was printed on the checks as
well as another image of the machine and an image of the female die.

Cory Safety Check Punch
1871
In 1871, Charles Cory & Son, New York, NY, won an award for the
"best safety check punch"
at the 39th Annual Exhibition of the American Institute of the City of New
York. No image is available.

Perforating Machine for ChecksExhibited 1876
John R. Hoole
New York, NYInternational Exposition 1876 Official Catalogue," Philadelphia, records
that John R. Hoole exhibited a perforating machine for checks.No illustration or other evidence of this machine is available.

This machine was invented by John Newton Williams (1840-1929), who went on to invent Williams typewriters (1891-1909).

An 1892 advertisement claimed that over 15,000 Automatic Bank Punches were in use. The 1892 price was $25. Also, in 1892 the Clerk of the U.S. Treasury Department took the extraordinary step of stating "To Whom It May Concern" that the Automatic Bank Punch had been "found to serve the purpose better than any other machine in the market." Naturally, this endorsement by the Treasury Department was featured in ads for the Automatic Bank Punch. In 1892, the Automatic Bank Punch Co. also stated "We have just filled large orders for the Treasury and War Departments. Over four hundred thousand United States Treasurer's checks were cut by the AUTOMATIC last year."
An 1896 ad claimed that over 18,000 Automatic Bank Punches were in use. This ad also stated that the new improved model cut the number "3" with a flat top, rather than the rounded top cut by earlier models.
An 1897 ad claimed that two-thirds of bankers and banking houses in the US used Automatic Bank Punches.
An 1899 ad claimed that over 22,000 Automatic Check Punches were in use.

Chicago Check PerforatorPatented 1889-92 ~ Advertised 1890-1930
B. F. Cummins Company
Chicago, IL, and New York, NY
1893 Price $15. Price reduced to $10 in 1895. 1899 Price $10.
An 1899 ad stated that the number of Chicago Check Perforators in use was larger than the number of all other makes combined.
The claim was carefully worded so that the comparison was only among check "perforators," and therefore did not include check punches.
That said, a 1903 ad stated "43,000 in daily use." If accurate, this claim indicates that before 1903 the total number of Chicago Check Perforators that had been sold exceeded the number of Automatic Bank Punches that had been sold (see above).

Check
Perforator Attachment for Odell TypewriterTypewriter Patented 1889-90 ~ Typewriter & Perforator Advertised
1890-92
Odell Typewriter Co., Chicago, IL
1890 Price for Typewriter and Perforator Attachment $20 (double case typewriter) or $15 (single case) Photos right show the parts of the attachment. According to an 1891 ad, the Odell was "the
only typewriter in the world having a check perforator attachment."

The only information we have found on this manufacturer follows: "[I]n the last few generations some ingenious inventions have been made which are still being made use of by their descendants. Thus Anders Mattson's Engineering Works at Mora...are the...manufacturers...of Mattson's drills..." Gerda Boëthius, Dalarna: A Description of Its Scenery, Its People and Its Culture, Stockholm Turisttrafikförbundet, V. Petterson, 1930, p. 138.

.

Check
ProtectorPatented 1893
Clark & Roberts
Indianapolis, IN

Image coming

Berlin Check
Punch
Advertised 1893
U.S.

.

.

Matchless
Safety Check PunchMarketed 1893
The Office Men's Record reported in 1893 that "The
Matchless Safety Check Punch punctures the paper, breaks the fibre and
makes a plain figure."

Royal
Automatic (a.k.a Indelible) Check
Perforator
Patented 1898~ Advertised 1898-1903 ~ Marketed 1905
Rouss Manufacturing Company
New York, NY
$3.50 in 1898
"It perforates any part of a Check, the top, bottom or centre. The perforations are filled with an an Acid-Proof Ink."

First, you must not plagiarize our material. Plagiarism
is the act of passing off as your own the words, photographs, or other work of
someone else. That is, not giving appropriate credit. Second, you must not violate our copyright, which means you may not use any images or text from the Early Office Museum web site in
publications, in direct mailing material, on web sites, in auction listings, or
anywhere else without written permission from the Curator. In some cases, images belong to someone else, and we cannot give
permission. If you make a
non-infringing use of information from this web site, please cite the Early
Office Museum and provide a link or our web address (www.officemuseum.com or www.earlyofficemuseum.com).
If you believe that we have not given appropriate credit for your work or have
violated your copyright, please email the curator so we can resolve the matter.